Company Watch

Allergan to expand Botox in India

Manjusha Morgaonkar - Mumbai

With the intent of building capability in the medical fraternity in India by providing best in class training with reference to the art and science of using Botox, Allergan India recently announced the launch of Botox Institute in India. The Botox Institute seeks to impart the best-in-class training on the use of Botox for therapeutic and cosmetic indications. The institute's charter will provide basic skills and knowledge training to registered medical practitioners who are keen to add Botox to the list of services they provide to their patients.

It is approved in 77 countries for 20 unique indications a fact that reaffirms its unique position as a pipeline of diverse and unique indications in a single product. An efficacious drug with a well-defined and extensively documented safety profile, Botox finds its applications today in both disabling diseases as well as lifestyle diseases affecting multitudes of people worldwide. Botox at a time is used for many other medical problems like strabismus, blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, glabellar lines, juvenile cerebral palsy, hyperhidrosis and post stroke spasticity.

Originally used in the treatment of certain ophthalmic movement disorders, Botox therapy is now widely accepted in many regions around the world as the gold standard for indications ranging from therapeutic neuromuscular disorders and related pain to cosmetic facial aesthetics.

Rajkumar Narayanan, Vice-President, Managing Director-Asia, Allergan, remarked "With years of rich experience with botox across the world, Allergan today is the true knowledge leader when it comes to domain knowledge about the botulinum toxin therapy. As leaders, it is our endeavour to ensure that doctors receive the best-in-class training on botox. It is with this intent that we have launched Botox Institute in India and the preliminary or introductory workshops will be held across 46 major cities in India followed by the advanced level workshops later in the year."

Narayan stated that cosmetic dermatologist, aesthetic plastic surgeons are their primary target audience followed by therapeutic medicine-neurophysicians and paediatric orthopedicians. There is the much need for such institute in India to grow awareness and popularity as they are selling Botox in India since last 17 years.

Rajeev Nagi, Director-Sales and Marketing, Botox India said, "Botox institute's merit lies in the deep reservoir of knowledge that Allergan has, about the product. As market leaders, we owe it to the market to help it imbibe the right nuances about Botox and how to use it. With growing market awareness about Botox, we feel it is the right time to focus on physician education in India to help our patients gain the most through correct Botox administration." The course contains three level workshop programmes with a physician graduating to successively higher levels of skilled training. The course content includes basic build up theory, demonstration, injection skills and use of scientific tools.

manjusha.morgaonkar@expressindia.com